Basic astronomy and night sky information
The usually reliable Orionid meteor shower runs from October 17-25, 2015, and peaks in the early morning of October 21. The first-quarter Moon will set after midnight at the peak of the shower year, so it will be a great year to see the Orionids, which at their peak, can display as many as 30 meteors per hour [Read more…] about Orionid Meteor Shower 2015
Share This:
If you’re up for a weekend challenge, grab your binoculars, find a clear view down to the eastern horizon, and head out about 30 minutes before sunrise to spot fingernail-thin crescent Moon right next to the planet Mercury in the pre-dawn sky. A pair of binoculars will help you pull an image of the pair out of the brightening sky. Westward (above) this pair you will also see the planets Mars, Jupiter, and Venus in the constellation Leo. The event favors observers in the northern hemisphere, but it is also visible in the south, although the sky will be slightly brighter when Mercury emerges above the horizon.
Share This:
Venus blazes in the eastern sky well before dawn this month. The planet, which is now roughly half lit by the Sun, shines at a brilliant magnitude -4.4 just above its fellow planets Jupiter and Mars. All now lie below the underbelly of the constellation Leo, the Lion. On October 8, 2015, a faint crescent Moon led Venus into the daytime sky. With the Moon to guide the way, keen-eyed observers could see the planet well into the late morning and early afternoon. This image, taken hand-held with a borrowed and ancient DSLR and 18-55mm lens, shows Venus and the Moon just before noon local time on a slightly hazy day near Washington, DC. Venus is the little white dot at upper left.
Share This:
NASA has released an astonishing cache of more than 11,000 images from all 12 manned Apollo missions from 1968-1972. These images, which are scanned versions of the original 35 mm and Hasselblad film are not corrected or enhanced, so their colors are reminiscent of old vacation photos from the 1960s. Their tint and subject matter call forth a strange pang of nostalgia, I must admit.
The project to scan these images was the idea of Kipp Teague, a volunteer with the NASA History Office in Washington, D.C. The project began in 2004 and concluded recently. You can access all of these newly-released Apollo images at Flickr at the link below. As you will see, they are conveniently organized by mission:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/projectapolloarchive/albums/
Here are a few to whet your appetite… [Read more…] about New Collection of Apollo Moon Images
Share This:
Set your alarm to wake early on October 8, 2015 to see three bright planets, a bright star, and a waning crescent Moon stacked up along the ecliptic in the eastern sky before sunrise. Over the next few weeks, the planets will bob and weave among the stars of the constellation Leo. As the early mornings turn colder in the northern hemisphere and warmer in the south, the planets will slowly converge. First, Mars and Jupiter will approach within a degree of each other on October 17-18, then Venus will join the two on October 26-27. Find a view of the eastern sky and see the solar system in action before the sun rises. It’s a good way to start the day.
Share This:
